It's the day after EVCCON. I'm beaten down to a pile two and a half feet tall and six feet in diameter. Until last night, I had about 11 hours sleep spread across six days. It's a good tired. But I'm left stunned, dazed, and confused.
Attendance was a disappointment with slightly over 200 people and about 40 cars. But the event was intense, the cars a huge step up in build quality and innovation, and the ShowMeCenter arena proved a stunning venue for this event. The vendors, instead of a couple of limp tables with no activity like last year, was a small single row wall along the length of the facility, and there was a double line of people in front of them all day every day. Lot's of "sekert" stuff and new announcements. And total surprises - John Metric, new President of NEDRA, and Rich Rudman of Manzanita partying like Rock Stars and clearly getting down with their badselves. By Thursday I thought nothing could surprise me any longer.
In short, this was the most intense convention experience I've ever had anywhere. The group was stellar, just gentlemen scholars all with never a sour word the whole week. It was in short, just not believable. If you weren't there, I can't share it with you because you will be absolutely certain I'm lying. It simply could not be. So I won't bother. Secret revenge on a handful close to me that I thought would be there but pulled out at the last minute.
Despite avowing that there could be no video for you stay at homes, at the last minute I worked a deal with Andrew McClary of Electric Hot Rod Video to come and shoot what he could and do with it as he might. He got some stunning stuff and is as I write editing it down to something that at least provides a summary and has a shot at capturing the feel. I can't wait to see it and have high hopes for this.
Ron Adamowicz DID pull out but then at the last minute reversed and showed up for the event. Our track is really not setup for real drag racers and we simply do not have enough runout space to really step on it in one of these high powered vehicles safely. He STILL posted an 11.2 just in an exhibition run. The car looks like a bitch in black and as you know I have a weakness for ladies of a darker persuasion. And wo we are sponsoring WARP FACTOR III for the 2013 season. Thanks for being there for us Ron. It was the hit of the drag racing event of course.
Quick impressions. Sebastien Bourgois and EVNetics announced a high powered DC-DC charger product based on their Soliton line that will undoubtedly be a major factor in the future. George Hamstra and Netgain Motors absolutely stunned the assembly with an entire LINE of AC motors and controllers ranging from 30kw theoretically up to 600kW in automotive grade from a Korean source they have just this week signed the contract with. And so Netgain, it would appear, will finally bring us a true combination AC motor and inverter in significant power. No word on pricing yet but it looked like under 300v (my dream come to life) and hopefully at an achievable price point instead of the ridiculous $30,000 solutions that have been barely hanging out there.
Ryan Bohn has brought to life and actually showed at the event a device called the PulsaR. R being me. I worked with him intensely on the specification for this device and funded the early development of this. It will charge packs up to 370 volts at up to 300 amps from a DC source of up to 500volts - the clear path to fast charging. It also is entirely OBDII CANbus. You will be able to read all about it on an Android app called TORQUE and indeed configure it by Android app. It also features a 100 amp 3-phase rectifier input allowing charging from any AC source - full J1772 compatibility built in AND a 53 ampere 12volt DC-DC converter to power your 12vdc bus. All connections internal with NO exposed terminals - cables fed through gland nuts.
This is not just a charger for your car allowing fast charge when a connector and CANbus standard is finally settled, but if you take it out of a car and set it on a pile of batteries, it BECOMES a fast charge station. Indeed it charges in EITHER direction DC-DC so I can put one in the Escalade and use it to charge the Escalade by AC or DC, but further use the Escalade as a service vehicle, using the onboard 76kWh pack to "jump charge" smaller vehicles like Speedsters at 300 amps. The Speedster doesn't need to have a charger at all. The device is $3000. We should have 10 in stock at EVTV by November 15. We'll probably put it up for pre-order this week or next.
Following later is a $4000 version with built in 500 amp controller. And they've left the door open to higher powered devices in the future, demand determining development there. They continue to offer their very strong 1400 amp Warp Drive Industrial which will work very well in tandem with this for obvious reasons.
We found out ANOTHER builder was bilked out of $19,000 on a battery pack. Very reluctantly we are looking at developing a "Preferred Provider" list of online component sources. I have to gin up some kind of online survey kind of thing, verification of negative comments, and so forth. I haven't got it all thought through at this point, but it is a thing that just has to be done and it would appear we are going to have to do it. The effect of these frauds are simply chilling to the continued expansion of the DIY movement. If we have to do it, it is not going to be free to these vendors. In fact, I promise to make it hurt. But for end users, this thing of sending in tens of thousands of dollars to buy products they do not receive IS going to end, and not be me personally stocking every freaking component on the planet in my garage. We shouldn't properly even be IN the components business at all.
We have not announced an EVCCON 2013 at all. We are reviewing this years - probably the second year we have net net essentially paid people to come. My philosophy is if they don't vote in decimal, the vote doesn't count. Right now I would guess we're looking at EVCCON being an intense experience for a very select few, and not economically viable nor apparently needed. The logistics involved to participate may just be too daunting. But I'm going to look at it with an open mind over the next month and see what's possible. We might change it, we might keep it, and we might kill it off. The first two were intensely pleasurable acts, but doing that sort of thing by yourself is basically a widespread public version of masturbation. Not a thing you want to be caught in public doing.
My opening remarks for this year are interesting, but not a very polished performance I fear.